The New York Yankees dropped their third series in a row after falling 3-1 to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, marking the team’s first rocky patch of the season, and Nestor Cortes, who went seven innings and allowed three runs, provided insight into how the team is feeling at the moment.
“Nobody is hanging their heads; nobody is panicking in here,” Nestor Cortes told YES Network. “It’s just a hard stretch you’ll have to deal with throughout the course of 162 games. We just need to figure out how to get out of this.”
Cortes pitched well against the Braves, but the Yankees offense faltered, scoring only one run against Atlanta’s pitching staff, which was led by Max Fried, who went six innings. The day began with Giancarlo Stanton going on the injured list with a hamstring strain in the midst of a resurgence. The Yankees also acquired JD Davis from the Oakland Athletics shortly before the game began.
This bad patch began last weekend with a series loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, and it continued this week with the Baltimore Orioles taking two of three games in the Bronx. The Braves stepped in and did the same thing. The Yankees are lucky that the Houston Astros swept the Orioles, allowing them to gain one game in the American League East. Following Sunday’s games, New York has a 1.5-game lead over Baltimore.
Aaron Boone on how the Yankees can rebound.
Following the loss, Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence in his club and discussed how the team may break out of its slump.
“Not that it’s ever easy, because it’s certainly not, but sometimes a little reminder of getting your lunch handed to you or getting popped in the mouth helps you get over the long haul,” Aaron Boone told ESPN’s Bryan Hoch. “You preserve that edge and sharpness. It allows you to look into how a team attacks you and close those gaps.”
Several features of the Yankees have been exploited over the last week or two. Returning to the Red Sox series has taken advantage of Jose Trevino’s and Austin Wells’ weak arms. Boston stole nine bases against Jose Trevino on Sunday.
The bullpen’s frailty has also been on display, which was a known issue prior to this rut, as the Yankees are allegedly looking for arms at this year’s trade deadline.
Finally, teams are picking up on how the Yankees sequence their pitches. The Braves attacked fastballs early in counts, particularly against Carlos Rodon on Friday. It will be intriguing to see how the Yankees’ starting rotation changes over time.
The Yankees will play two games against the New York Mets beginning on Tuesday before traveling to Toronto to face the Blue Jays in a four-game series next weekend.
